Posted on Feb 3, 2016
SSG John McCammon
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Just trying to get some different perspective on Résumé building.
Posted in these groups: K14817871 ResumeMilitary civilian 600x338 Transition
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Responses: 52
SSG Steven Dowell
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I don't remember what they call it now but if you go to the ACAP office and they can print you off a packet of transfer words to transfer military jargon into civilian speak.
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SFC James Young
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To reply to the comments referring resources and tools. These are great to give you an idea. Having someone write your resume for you is bad for you. Only you know your skills, and what your accomplishments are. You will sell yourself short of someone writes your resume. ACAP is what you put into it. There is no "A+B=C" formula that will land you a career. There are many factors. What the company is looking for, what the timing is like for the position and yourself, what expectations for both parties are not met. Sometimes you have one shot to make an impression. Your goal is to make one that is so good they remember you. I wasn't hired after my first interview because I wasn't getting out of the Army for a few months. I kept in touch and luckily I walked on the week I got out. This is how LinkedIn plays an important part. Resumes give a preview of your skills. You keep it one to two pages, while your linkedin profile you can tell your entire story. At the same time, you can connect with your interviewer, or prospective manager at the same time. I encourage connecting and working on some pointers for interviews. Resumes are a breeze. The first time I tried to pitch an elevator pitch it was rough. I taught as an instructor on the M2A3 Bradley for a while, and as I got out I was a senior instructor at the NCO Academy. I was also teaching the Army Basic Instructor Course, and small group leaders course. 30 seconds talking about myself was unnatural and I had to rehearse it a lot before getting it down. When you add a LinkedIn profile. Again, like a resume, keep it free from military jargon. Make a good tagine (job description) for the career you are looking to get into. Example: "Experienced Project Manager who is a self starter, secret clearance, available ________." And don't have a picture of you in military uniform. Think of it as sending in a DA photo with you in just a suit and tie rather than uniform....that is exactly what you are doing if you are transitioning and job hunting.
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1LT A. Uribe
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I would hire a professional resume writer, worked for me and got me a GS-12 position.
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MAJ Multifunctional Logistician
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Are you getting ready to ETS within the next two years? ACAP has classes that address resume' building.
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SSG 92 A Automated  Logistics Specialist
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VMET can assist with that
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SFC M1 ABRAMS Tank System Maintainer
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Contact me and I can help. I was offered the DOL TAP job as I am getting out. It's where they teach writing your resume. [login to see]
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SFC Donald Neal
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Like others have stated, you'll need to boil down the essence of what you accomplished. Instead of responsible for PCCs/PCIs; you can use performed pre-operations checks, took corrective actions and conducted operations while ensuring conformity for policy and procedures. Create a LinkedIn profile too and look at what others are doing.
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MAJ Executive Officer
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Check out this link to "Civilian Terms for Military Experience" below. It gives some examples of how to translate military experience into more understandable civilian terms for your resume.
http://www.handsonbanking.org/financial-education/military/civilian-terms-for-military-experience/
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SSG John McCammon
SSG John McCammon
10 y
Thank you Sir,
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SSG Strategic Threat Senior Anayst
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One thing I have seen in the past is the use of family and friends. Write your resume as best you can, then have a friend or family member to read it and provide feedback on what confused them or what they did not understand. This should help you identify anything that may not have translated well for you. However, the ample a advice here of using all the assistance programs the military provides for transitioning soldiers will definitely steer you in the right direction, good luck.
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SFC Justin Scott
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Have you gone and taken the resume building class on your post? They provide excellent information on this.
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SSG John McCammon
SSG John McCammon
10 y
I am not on a post, and I am currently to far out to start ACAP, but I am being proactive and trying to get some feelers out there. I still have the opportunity to Re-up.
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SFC Justin Scott
SFC Justin Scott
10 y
It sucks that you're not near a post right now because the class can be taken even if you're not in the Soldier For Life Program yet. I'll go through my stuff and see if I can find any of the free resources they provided to help you.
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SSG John McCammon
SSG John McCammon
10 y
I am familiar with the Soldier for Life Program, I actually know the director
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